We are experts in the industry and can help you prevent damage to underground services so you can better plan your project, lower your costs and provide a safer working environment.

Our utility location services can provide you with complete visibility, above and below the ground surface identifying all gas, water, electricity, drainage and telecommunications utility and service routes on your site. We use ground penetrating radar for leak detection & other underground location services.

Our services will locate existing utilities that you would not otherwise see, including:

Electricity Lines

Our electricity line location service involves identifying and labelling any underground power lines in a given area, to ensure they’re not damaged or tampered with during construction. Instead of wasting precious time wondering how to find power lines or digging carefully to avoid damaging buried electricity cables, call us and we can locate and map any existing utilities for you.

For power lines, we use mostly electromagnetic equipment that uses a transmitter to send signals into the ground and read them upon their return, locating the lines. Unlike GPR (ground penetrating radar), the electromagnetic equipment works on wet soil as well, as the moisture enhances the signal.

Water Pipes

The last thing you want to deal with in the middle of a construction project are damaged water pipes. When the water is released at high pressure, it can propel debris and other materials surrounding the pipe. It can erode the materials it washes away and harm other infrastructures and services.

To avoid that, you need to locate the water pipes before beginning any excavation work, and that’s what we do best. We use two procedures for locating water pipes. The electromagnetic method involves sending an electromagnetic signal in the ground and using its readings to locate the pipes. The GPR method involves using a special device that can locate metallic and non-metallic utilities and provides accurate results, although it must be used on dry soil.

Sewer Lines

No matter if you need to locate sewer lines to connect to them or just to make sure you won’t damage them during excavations, you should leave this job to professionals. These lines, no matter if public or private, can be very difficult to locate. If damaged, they can contaminate the soil or nearby water pipes. They may also contain explosive and toxic gases, putting both you and your property in danger.

At One Search Locators, we use state of the art equipment that allows us to locate non-metallic lines at a depth of up to 13 feet. We also use sonde locators to identify sewer line collapses and blockages. The sondes are inserted into the sewer line. As they travel along the sewer, they emit a signal that allows us to track them, and thus map the line’s trajectory.

Storage Tanks

If there used to be a service station, transport depot, oil refinery, or some other type of industrial site on your property, there could be an underground storage tank as well. You’d better find it before you start digging, as it could be holding diesel, petrol, or other volatiles – and if you damage it, you could start a fire, damage your equipment, or cause some other problems.

With no records of its location to guide you and no marks to reveal their position, hiring a professional locating service is your best option. We use GPR devices for storage tank detection, as they provide accurate readings and help us mark the exact position of the tank. With our help, you’ll know exactly where and when it is safe to dig, to avoid damaging the tank and contaminating the environment or causing an explosion.

Gas Pipes

Just like sewer and water pipes, gas pipes form complex underground networks. If you start digging without checking for gas pipes in the area, you risk damaging them. That could be disastrous, as the escaping gas can creates the conditions for explosions and fires.

For gas line locating, we use the electromagnetic method – it is the safest and most accurate technique. We identify and mark the trajectory of the pipes, allowing our clients to plan the works safely, so as to avoid damaging the pipes and not register unnecessary delays.

Telecommunication Cables

They are not as dangerous as electricity and gas lines or water pipes, but damaging them could create a costly problem with the service providers. It’s simpler and safer to hire telecommunication cable locating services and identify their position.

Not only that we provide such services, but we use ground penetrating radar technology. The devices we use emit a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse into the ground for mapping underground utilities, even non-metallic ones. The information is collected by rolling the GPR system over the targeted area.

Voids

It is not uncommon for the soil under concrete slabs or rocks to be washed away after major storms or floods. The holes they leave behind, commonly referred to as voids, or sink holes, can lead to collapses, cracks and ceding. That’s why it is so important to identify voids as early and as accurately as possible. We can help.

We use GPR technology to determine the exact location and size of the voids, as it can detect any variations in soil density and thus locate any metallic or non-metallic utilities, storage tanks, or, in this case, voids. The secret to flawless reading is that the soil be dry.

Storm Water Drains

They are not as dangerous as water and sewer pipes, or gas and power lines, but you still need to locate them before you start digging, to avoid damage and unwanted complications. It is possible to locate storm water drains using several technologies.

The most common of them remain electromagnetic and ground penetrating radar. These usually allow for accurate reading and mapping. In special circumstances, sonde locators and drain cameras can be used as well. No matter the circumstances or the technology you prefer, you need professional help and expertise, and One Search Locators will gladly provide it.